Process for obtaining textile fibers.



llhllllllllElD @Trtflllifi PATENT @lllf llGE.

FRITZ KREISSL AND CARL SEIBERT, OF VIENNA, AUSTRIA-HUNGARY.

FROG SS FOR OBTAINING TEXIILE l'IBlilItS.

memes.

No Drawing.

In all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, l nrrz lsilmussi. and Cam. f lmmiuir, subjects of the l hnperor of AustriaJlungary, residing at Vienna, Austria-llungary, have invented a certain new and useful. lirm3r0vcd li rocess for ()btaining Textile llibers, of which the follow ing is a s iiecilication.

At the hitherto known. process for obtaining textile fibers it was necessary to sep arate the bust from the wood in a mechanical manner after the rotting process or its opening up by a chemical treatment. This process caused a Waste of time and was therefore very expensive. Furthernwre this process had a very bad effect upon the textile fibers, especially by damaging the fibers in length and structure.

The object of the present invention is to thoroughly overcome the cited disadvantages and permits the deeompositioi'i of the wood of the vegetable material by a. chemical treatment only, without damaging the textile fibers either in length or structure by any mechanical process.

The process according to the present invention is to be generally used and may also be employed for the obtention of textile fibers from any vegetable material, such as nettle, hops, sunllower and the like.

As an example of carrying out this in vention the process will be described in its application for obtaining nettle fibers. Freshly cut stinging nettles are dried and laid in cold water for 24: hours for the purpose of purifying and softening. After such treatment the stems are boiled in a vessel in an 8% diluted soda lye when the stems are washed by water under pressure, the stems being brought on a sieve and a strong current of preferably warmed water is directed on the stems for the purpose of ren'ioving any impurities. The entire stems are then treated in an autoclave boiler with 8% diluted soda lye for about 5 minutes at a. pressure of preferably 15 atmospheres. During the following splashing with preferably warmed water under pressure the fibers are entirely separated from any remaining woody parts. lt is necessary to have the small cellulose fibers caught separately as this material is of greatest importance especially for the manufacture of paper. At the boiling process in the autoclave boiler the vegetable gum is perfectly dissolved and a material is thus obtained Specification of Letters Patent.

. atonted Aug. 22, 1911.

Application filed February 11, 1911. Serial No. 608,107.

which is specially adapted to be used as a sticking material. '.l.he obtained \rgetable libers are already in a very pure state. llowevcr it is advisable to have the obtained liber material boiled once more in the autoclave boiler with all h% soda-lye at a pressure of 1.0 atmospheres for 1") minutes. After a further splashing of the libers with preferably warmed water the fibers may be brought once more in the autoclave boiler and be treated with a 2% soda lye at a pressure of 3 atmospheres for 2) minules. The fiber material thus obtained is now in a most pure state and is to be splashed with preferably cold water once more on a. sieve or the like. It is preferable to bleach immediately after the said process of obtaining the fibers and the said bleaching is effected with a solution obtained by an electrolysis of common salt. The bleaching solution is preferably to be used in a strength of 5 to 15%. The libcr material is then left in the bleaching solution until it has reached a brilliant whiteness. .After the treatment with this bleaching solution the fibers are brought into water to which is added a kilo of sulfuric acid to each 1.00 liters. The fibers are left but a very short time in this very diluted sulfuric acid when they are washed and dried. In order to make the libers still more flexible and smooth they are treated with vapors of glycerin during a short time.

The present treatment not only saves the peeling oll' the bast from the stem by a mechanical process, but at the same time two fresh products are also obtained by it, that is the \mgetable gum which posses-cs a speciallysl'rong sticking property and small cel lulose fibers in a most suitable condition for the manufacture of paper. l urlhermore the use of any degrumming material which made the hitherto used processes most costly will be no longer required. instead of the soda lye other alkalic solutions may he used such as potash. a solution of lime, or a solution of carbonate of soda or the like. The strength of the various alkalic solutions as well as the pressure and the time of treatment in the autoclave boiler may be varied accmrding to the vegetable material which is to be treated.

l. The process for obtainingtextile fibers from vegetable material, such as nettles, hops, sunllower stalks and the like, which consists in softening and externally purifying the material by a preliminary boiling, then treating the material in an autoclave boiler with a diluted soda lye of 28% strength for about 5 minutes under a pressure of about 15 atmospheres, whereby the ligneous parts of the stems are completely destroyed, and then applying jets of water under pressure to the mass, whereby the fibrous material is obtained without requiring a mechanical removal of the bast.

2. The process for obtaining textile fibers from ve etable material, such as nettles, hops, sunflower stalks and the like, which consists in softening and externally purifying the material by a preliminary boiling, then treating the material in an autoclave boiler with a diluted soda lye of 28% strength for about 5 minutes under a pres sure of about 15 atmospheres, whereby the ligneous parts of the stems are completely destroyed, then applying jets of water under pressure to the mass, whereby the fibrous material is obtained without requiring a mechanical removal of the bast, boiling the fibrous material again in a soda lye having a strength of about 8% for 3 minutes under a pressure of 10 atmospheres, again applying jets of Water to the mass, and finally bleaching the material.

3. The process for obtaining textile fibers from vegetable material, such as nettles, hops, sunflower stalks and the like, which consists in softening and externally purifying the material by a preliminary boiling, then treating the material in an auto clave boiler with a diluted soda lye of 28% strength for about 5 minutes under a pressure of about 15 atmospheres, where by the ligneous parts of the stems are completely destroyed, then applying jets of water under pressure to the mass, boiling the fibrous material again in a soda lye having a strength of about 8% for 8 minutes under a pressure of 10 atmospheres, again applying jets of water to the mass, placing the fibrous material in a bleaching solution, then immersing the fibrous material for a short time in very diluted sulfuric acid, washing and drying the fibers, and then treating the fibers with vapors of glycerin for a short time, whereby they are rendered flexible and smooth.

4. The process for obtaining textile fibers from vegetable material, such as nettles, hops, sunflower stalks and the like, which consists in first treating the material with cold lye water for about 24; hours and then preliminarily boiling the material for the purpose of removing external impuritles, then treating the stems in an autoclave boiler with 8% soda lye for about 5 minutes and under a pressure of about 15 atmospheres, then applying jets of water un der pressure to the material whereby the fibers are entirely separated from any remaining ligneous parts, again boiling the material in diluted soda lye under pressure and washing with water, then bleaching the fibers, and finally treating the fibers with a solution of diluted sulfuric acid and with vapors of glycerin.

5. The process for obtaining textile fibers from vegetable material, such as nettles, hops, sunflower stalks and the like, which consists in first treating the material with cold lye Water for about 24 hours and then preliminarily boiling the material in diluted soda lye, washing the material for the purpose of removing external impurities, then treating the stems in an autoclave boiler with 8% soda lye for about 5 minutes and under a pressure of about 15 atmospheres, then applying jets of water under pressure to the material whereby the fibers are entirely separated from any remaining ligneous parts, again treating the material in an autoclave boiler with an 8% soda lye under a pressure of about 10 atmospheres for 3 minutes, then applying jets of water to the fibrous material, treating the fibrous material in an autoclave boiler with a 2% soda lye under a pressure of about 3 atmospheres for 8 minutes, applying jets of water to the material, bleaching the fibers by placing the same in a solution of common salt subjected to electrolysis, then treating the fibrous material for a short time in a solution of sulfuric acid containing 1 kilogram of sulfuric acid to each 100 liters of water, washing and drying the fibers, and then subjecting the fibers to treatment with vapors of glycerin whereby they are rendered more flexible and smooth.

In testimony whereof we affix our signatures in presence of two witnesses FRITZ KREISS-L. CARL SEIBERT.

Witnesses:

Josnr FABRY, AUGUST FUGGER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. G. 

